Here we are, in front of the
Arizona Territorial &
State Capitol.
The weather vane atop the
dome is Winged Victory.
Construction Facts: The original plans for the building included larger wings for the legislature. Due to funding issues, the building was scaled down. AND, there are supposed to be stairs in front of the building. Arizona didn't have the money to construct them in 1900, so the entrance to the Capitol is to the basement of the building. Additions were constructed in 1919 and 1938. The Capitol was renovated and reopened as Arizona Capitol Museum in 1981.
This photo show the entire
front of the 1900 Arizona
Territorial & State Capitol.
The Arizona State Capitol was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
The Arizona State Capitol was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
Petrified Wood is on display
at the Capitol.
Arizona's replica of the
Liberty Bell
This is one of the fifty-five full-sized replicas of the Philadelphia Liberty Bell cast at the Paccard Foundry in France in 1950: one for each state, the District of Columbia and each US Territory, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. The bells were made as gifts to be displayed and rung at patriotic occasions.
Our tour guide, Dottie, gave Eric, me and a family from California an in depth tour of the Capitol and Arizona History.
The Rotunda
The design of the State Seal was
the result of much debate.
This tile seal beneath the Rotunda.
Black Union Soldiers were
sent west after the Civil War
to secure the Arizona Territory
against native tribes.
The men were known as
The House of Representatives
Chamber shows the room set up
for the State Constitutional
Convention meetings in
1910 & 1911.
A wax replica of Arizona's
first governor, George
He and his secretary worked together at this large desk.
Arizona's early economy
was built on Cattle...
Copper Mining...
...Cotton, Citrus and the abundantly sunny Climate. The Colorado River is a important resource. It has been diverted to irrigate crops.
Eric looks at a model of
the Arizona State Flag.
The thirteen rays of red and orange represent the original thirteen states and the rays of the western setting sun. Red and gold were the colors brought with Coronado and his men during his exploration of Arizona. The copper colored star represents Arizona's abundant Copper resources. The blue at the bottom of the flag is the same color as the blue on the US Flag.
The USS Arizona's silver service.
It was used when the Captain was
entertaining important guests.
The USS Arizona was in port, on Battleship Row, at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 when the Japanese attacked. The battleship exploded when an armor piercing bomb ignited the ship's forward ammunition magazine and a fire broke out. Between the explosion and the fire, the USS Arizona lost 1,177 crewman.
Battleships berthed nearby were fired on that morning. The USS West Virginia sank quickly. The USS Oklahoma rolled over and sank. The USS California, USS Maryland, USS Tennessee and USS Nevada were also damaged during the attack. Of the twenty-one ships damaged or sunk on December 7th, the USS Arizona. was too badly damaged to try to raise and repair. The USS Utah and USS Oklahoma were considered to be too old to repair and refit for battle.
The USS Arizona is the permanent memorial to those who died in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Arizona lawmakers & the
public can use the
library's resources.
Pageant of Progress, four murals by Jay Datus, decorate the entry to the Library.
Modern Era illustrates
Arizona's developments
as it moves into the
future.
The Arizona Legislature moved to buildings adjacent to the Capitol in the 1960 and the Governor moved to a building behind the Capitol in the 1974.
Eric looks at a model of
the Arizona State Flag.
The thirteen rays of red and orange represent the original thirteen states and the rays of the western setting sun. Red and gold were the colors brought with Coronado and his men during his exploration of Arizona. The copper colored star represents Arizona's abundant Copper resources. The blue at the bottom of the flag is the same color as the blue on the US Flag.
The USS Arizona was constructed
in 1914 & commissioned in 1916.
The ship stayed close to the US coastline for gunnery training during World War I because of the German U-Boat threat.
The USS Arizona's silver service.
It was used when the Captain was
entertaining important guests.
The USS Arizona was in port, on Battleship Row, at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 when the Japanese attacked. The battleship exploded when an armor piercing bomb ignited the ship's forward ammunition magazine and a fire broke out. Between the explosion and the fire, the USS Arizona lost 1,177 crewman.
Battleships berthed nearby were fired on that morning. The USS West Virginia sank quickly. The USS Oklahoma rolled over and sank. The USS California, USS Maryland, USS Tennessee and USS Nevada were also damaged during the attack. Of the twenty-one ships damaged or sunk on December 7th, the USS Arizona. was too badly damaged to try to raise and repair. The USS Utah and USS Oklahoma were considered to be too old to repair and refit for battle.
The USS Arizona is the permanent memorial to those who died in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Eric touches pieces of the
USS Arizona that were
salvaged after the Pearl
Harbor attack.
It was a solemn moment.
The ability to communicate in an unbreakable code is crucial during wartime. Philip Johnston, the son of Protestant missionaries, lived on a Navajo Reservation as a child and knew that their oral language is unique and totally unfamiliar to the untrained ear. This little used, obscure language could be the security code the US military needed to to prosecute World War II.
375 to 420 Navajo Marines
were trained as Code Talkers.
They served in the Pacific
Their code was never
broken by the Japanese.
Our country is full of little known historical events. In the next room Eric and I learned about about the Merci (Gratitude) Train. France, occupied by the Germans and the scene of many battles during World War II, was in need of everything after the war. In 1948 seven hundred boxcars, filled with donations from US citizens, were sent to France. In 1949 the French people sent forty-nine boxcars, filled with gifts of gratitude, to the each state. The forty-ninth boxcar was to be shared by the District of Columbia and the Territory of Hawaii.
Parades and celebrations were conducted in state capitals and many major cities. The gifts in the forty-nine boxcars would populate a large database.
After the celebrations and ceremonies, many boxcars were put into storage and forgotten. Every single one has survived.
languished in the desert,
north of Phoenix, for years.
It has been restored & is on
display in Scottsdale.
Small items are displayed
at the Capitol...
A commemorative plate,
a card from the Chamber
of Commerce of Cognac,
photos
A religious statue by Rene Nicot,
a toy car made by Renault, a
decorative hand mirror given by
the National Union of Mirror
Makers & Sheet Glass Dealers,
a crystal ashtray, & a
commemorative metal & case
Each gift expresses the thanks of so many.
We visited the Arizona
State Library.
Arizona lawmakers & the
public can use the
library's resources.
Pageant of Progress, four murals by Jay Datus, decorate the entry to the Library.
Ancient Civilizations depicts
early Native American life
in Arizona.
Spanish Era illustrates
the Spanish arrival in
Arizona.
Pioneer Era depicts the types
of early settlers in Arizona.
The four side panels in the two previous murals represents the Apache Indians in the foreground responding to smoke signals. The middle ground shows the reason for each smoke signal: the arrival of the first Spanish missionaries: three riders on horseback; the siting of a settler's wagon and the arrival of an early train.
Modern Era illustrates
Arizona's developments
as it moves into the
future.
The Arizona Legislature moved to buildings adjacent to the Capitol in the 1960 and the Governor moved to a building behind the Capitol in the 1974.
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